How to Reduce a Digital Image File Size

By Eric Brown

The advent of digital imaging has done wonders for amateur photographers. Reducing file size quickly and easily can be difficult, depending on the operating system you are using. Using a free online photo editing service from Adobe you can reduce the size of your digital JPEG images quickly and easily from anywhere regardless of operating system, Mac or PC .

Step 1

Place your digital JPEG image on your desktop. This will make it easy to locate later on.

Step 2

Visit the link below for Photoshop.com in a new tab. When it opens click on "Join Now". This account is totally free.

Step 3

Enter your personal information (name, email), create a password, select a personal url (this will allow you to also publicly share your imaged if you choose to), select your country, and enter the verification code. Agree to the terms. Click "continue" at the bottom right.

Step 5

Select "Upload Photos" in the upper right hand corner when your are signed in. Locate your JPEG image on your desktop and click "Open." Select "Upload to your library" when prompted. Select "Done" when it finishes.

Step 6

Left click on your image and select "Edit" on the bottom of the interface. Select "Resize" in the left hand menu. You can either use the presets at the bottom for email, mobile, website or profiles sizes or you can use the custom selection to edit it to your specifications.

Step 7

Edit your image size. Select "Finish" when complete. Select "Save" at the bottom of the interface when you are returned to your library. Select "Original Size" when prompted (this will be the size you changed it to). Select where you want to save the image and click "Save." Your file size has now been reduced.

Tips & Warnings

Play around with the rest of the features of Adobe's Photoshop.com. Once your account is created you do not need to repeat the process---you can reduce images quickly and easily.

Do not post images online in any fashion you do not want others to see.